By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), Onrpg Journalist
This article was originally published in Thirteen1 Gaming Magazine, read the July Issue here!
There have been a lot of unspoken rules between MMO dudes all around, which deserve an analysis akin to the famous Bro Code book. Much like in real life, certain laws are made among groups of people or communities who operate in similar situations, without any verbal agreements. They dictate behavior, hierarchies, kinship and tribe signals, none of which can be understood by the outside world.
What is an MMO Bro?
An MMO Bro is also an MMO Dude, regardless of their gender. These are the people whom you meet across the virtual world. Some of them are just plain rude, some are nitpickers and most of them know when and where to say “PWND!”. When it comes to power leveling, nothing can beat the comforts of having an MMO bro around since he’ll end up tanking everything while you get experience. You, on the other hand, are also an MMO bro. Just like a newb (and not a NOOB), you too will be an MMO Bro as you progress further. MMO bros can either be your online friends or your actual ones. These are also the dignified people who travel from afar just to save your skin from enemy MMO Bros. As long as they like MMOs and can relate to your geeky thoughts, they belong to our kin.
What are the types of MMO bros?
Let’s see… Let’s break it down from top to bottom.
1) Alpha MMO Bro: The Alpha MMO Bro is responsible for the welfare of his pack of bros. These are either guild leaders or capable players who help people and end up being a guild leader themselves. These people tend to pay for the voice servers that most MMO Bros use.
2) Beta MMO Bro: Much like officers, these people fill up the empty holes that the Alpha MMO bro leaves uncovered. If the Alpha MMO bro does not have the money to purchase a voice server, these bros would gladly help out. Beta MMO Bros are always online and would fill in for the leader’s absence.
3) MMO Bro: This is the primary class for each bro. Although this isn’t the lowest form of bro, this is where each bro decides their actual archetype. These are people who have the potential but must be molded by higher bros in order to become a worthy official and of course team member.
4) New Bro: The New Bro (as you notice) does not carry the word MMO yet. These are people who wander around looking for help. They have potential to be molded into fully pledged MMO Bros once trained and tutored. They usually run around killing random things and are easily spotted due to their newb type game play.
Special cases
1) The Lone MMO Bro: Remember the time you met an awesome player who seems to be on his own? Yep! That’s him! The Lone MMO Bro does not seek companionship but always appears just in time to save you from certain death. These bros don’t talk much but have interesting stories to tell. They are normally super strong and would join parties but leave after the looting is done. It’s useless to invite these people into your guild since they would just wander around all the time as a stray player. These people are highly friendly when you’re still a newbie but will no longer reply much once you become a solid MMO bro.
2) The Veteran MMO Bro: Veteran Bros are people who’ve played the game for a long time. They would normally come in the form of a newbie due to their knack for new build hunting. They are great sources of wisdom and would talk to you whenever you need help. Veteran MMO bros are similar to Lone MMO Bros since they also stray across the gaming world searching for more answers.
The enemy
1) Infested MMO Bro: Once an MMO bro has been lured by the drug that is ganking, there’s no stopping these people from going around just to kill players. Their only motive for leveling is to kill, nothing more. Always be wary as these people would stroll around towns asking for PVP if the game does not promote active PVP or open PVP. They will always shout “RAPED” and are terrible losers once dealt with.
2) The Thief: Just as the name suggests, these people trick low level newbies into surrendering their stuff as well as gold. Always be careful since these people log out after each successful attempt.
3) The False Killers: Also known as Kill-Stealers or KSers, these people wouldn’t say anything aside from slowing down your progress. The best way to deal with them is to return the favor.
Some Rules
Here are some of the rules that applies to some of the bros.
Rule 1: An MMO bro always know when to say “PWND”
Since most MMO bros are combat oriented and are driven to prove something to both the world and themselves, another MMO bro must always be there to witness these events. If the driven bro does not succeed in fulfilling his own conditions, the spectator has the right to say “PWND”. This can also apply in real life if for example: His Fellow MMO bro gets into an accident, another dude gets into an accident in front of them, parental interference (whether in gaming or in real life) and of course the regular 1 on 1 PVP between 2 bros. It is unethical to say “Rape” or “Owned” since this is not too Bro-ey. The true essence of MMO bros comes from a hearty “PWND” declaration once something goes wrong.
Consequence: if ever an MMO bro says this word at the wrong time, he is not blessed with a punch on the nose and will forever lose his bond with that particular bro. So be careful.
Rule 2: An MMO bro never leaves a party of bros hanging
One of most unBro-ey actions would be to leave while everyone is raiding or in a horrible fix. Some douchebags would tell filthy lies like “I’m being called by my mom!”, “Got work today”, or “My wife/girlfriend needs me”. Know that in this coven/cult/tribe/lineage, there’s no excuse for leaving a fellow bro in the midst of battle. Since you have been selected as a primary member of a squad, you must do your part just as others would do theirs. Know that you are essential to that moment and your mom, girlfriend or dying friend can wait.
Consequence: If the Alpha MMO bro does not approve of the excuse, these people can be exiled without further notice.
Rule 3: An MMO Bro must always be punctual during Bro activities
While you might always be late for dates, school or work activities, there is no excuse for prolonging the group’s progress due to your tardiness/laziness. Always be on time when fellow bros are expecting you. If your dying friend was no excuse, what makes you think we’d understand anything else? XD
Consequence: This is not up to the Alpha MMO Bro to decide but his subordinates, which consists of more bros than just his officers. Since bros respect other bros to its top most extent, they tend to expect a lot from them as well. The punishment varies on whatever the jury decides.
There are all merely guidelines on how a MMO Bro community works. Always love your fellow bro, cause these people will help you during your time of need. One good turn deserves another, and if there are no good turns, you’ll most likely hit the barricade (LOL).
Thirteen1 is an independent, online based, professionally made free-to-read games magazine created in East Yorkshire, UK. Each new issue is released on the 13th of every month at 13.00 GMT. Thirteen1 have published 15 issues to date, as well as 2 supplements, covering a wide variety of titles from multiple-platforms.
